1826.] 



Monihli/ Thcalriad flcxicut 



195 



indulgent reception ; but lie lias claims of 

 his own wliich will secure him a continu- 

 ance of the approbation with which his tirst 

 efforts in the metropolis were greeted. His 

 voice is clear, though, as yet, not powerlul : 

 his style of singing is in a great measure 

 free from the absurd affectations with which 

 modern vocalists, in spite of the delightful 

 example and splendid success of Miss 

 Stephens, hide their melodies in order to 

 fix attention on themselves ; and lie excels 

 in the rare accomplishment of singing so, 

 that the words are not suffocated in the 

 music. When will it become the rule and 

 not the exception with singers, so to aiticu • 



late, as to make their hearers know that 

 poetry is a part of the song ? 



There was a new adventurer in .Maj-beth ; 

 his first attempt was not so successful ax 

 to warnint a second. 



3Ir. Sorle, we are happy to find, is no 

 proselyte to the coxcombical pretensions of 

 certain first-rate performers, who, having 

 gained a reputation, refuse to play second- 

 rate parts. The consequence is, that he is- 

 rising surely, and not slowly, in the public 

 estimation. 



Miss Paton, Mr. Thillips, Mr. Braliam, 

 and Miss Stephens, are anncninced as 

 engaged at this theatre. 



XKVV :ul .SIC. 



VOCAL. 



The Psalms, Te Deum and Jubilate. By 

 W. H. Cuthr, Mus. Bac, Oxon. 7s. 

 Lindsay. — This collection of Psalms pro- 

 fesses to have been composed and selected 

 for the use of Quebec Chapel, and is very 

 similar to many other collections of the 

 same sort. There are a number of original 

 tunes by INIr. Cutler himself, which are all 

 of them respectable, and none particularly 

 fine. St. Helens is perhaps the best of the 

 number. The selection of old tunes is 

 invariably good, and the arrangemeiit of 

 several slow airs as Iiynnis, is performed 

 with more judgment than many that we 

 have met with. . If 'Sit. Cutler had res- 

 trained himself to publishing the Psalms, 

 all had been well ; they contain not much 

 to increase, and nothing to injure his rei)u- 

 tation : but we cannot conceive what 

 could induce him to lay such a vile compo- 

 sition as the Te Deum and Jubilate before 

 the public. I\Iost of our English graduates 

 have produced a service which they have 

 endeavoured to make their chef d' autre of 

 vocal composition, and our Catiiedral books 

 contain specimens in this style, exhibiting 

 the finest class of church haimonies, with 

 noble examples both of simple counterj)oint 

 and fugue, which would do honour to the 

 music of any age or any countrj-. But Mr. 

 Cutler seems determined to set at defiance 

 all the laws of the science — and to prove 

 his superiority to every ordinance which his 

 predecessors had laid down for their regu- 

 lation. The composition of this scrnce is 

 of the simplest order ; not one fugue point, 

 not a response, not even a syncoi)ated note 

 to be found. Mr. Cutler must really have 

 taken some trouble to find opportunities for 

 the various oddities with which he has 

 favoured us — by way of specimen of what 

 we might expect, he has given us consecu- 

 tives in the two first notes. We will in- 

 stance two or three of the most glaring 

 errors in harmony : to those which relate 

 either to taste or judgment, we will be 

 merciful by our silence. " The goodly 



fellowship," consecutive fifths — " Thou art 

 the King of Glory," &c. octaves between 

 the extreme parts—" Of the Father," oc- 

 taves between alto and bass — " Lord have 

 mercy," dominant seventh resolved up- 

 wards on a tonic pedale — " Upon us" — hid- 

 den fifths in the tenor, &:c. &c. ; the unison 

 passages are likewise strangely jumbled 

 with a few notes in hannony. Were we to 

 try the music on a keyed instrument, we 

 should detect many other inaccuracies ; 

 those above named were selected merely 

 by glancing the eye over it. Can this be 

 the Mr. Cutler who published some time 

 since that beautiful anthem in score ? Alas ! 

 what a falling off from the hojics of earlier 

 days. We trust, if this gentle castigation 

 should meet his eye, that it will produce 

 the intended etfect, and stimulate him to 

 more exertion : we know he is capable of 

 better things. 



" My dulcet Lute." Simf/. J. Barnetl. 

 2s. Cramer, Addimn, aiul Beak. 



" Fair Evening Star." do. do. ls.6d.do. 



'' 77ie Ruined Harem" do. dn. 2s. do. 



" TheJtwcloJ'Giamchid." do. ilo. 'is. do. 



We know no composer of the day whose 

 talent for invention more depends on the 

 nature of the poetiy on which he is employed 

 than Mr. Barnett : we rejoice to see it, and 

 still more to see it patronized : it gives 

 hope of a return to that of clden time, 

 when poets were musicians, and sense and 

 sound went haad-in-hund. We congratu- 

 lated Mr. B. on the fair authoress who at 

 present writes for him ; some of her stanzas 

 breathe a soul of poesy, which must in- 

 spire the composer — they appear to have 

 done so in the present instance. AVe do net 

 think Mr. B. has ever been more fortunate 

 in the light or tender styles than in tliose 

 four songs. The second is particularly 

 simple, and the " Ruined Harem" exhibits 

 all the pathos we might expect from the 

 subject. The harmonies and rccom; ani- 

 ments are sufficiently scientific uithuut 

 being recherche ; the composer always ma- 

 nages, by availing himself of liis harmonic 



2 C 2 



